Rotary drum lot mixing and dispensing device



Sept. 23, 1969 M. ERNST 3,468,542

ROTARY DRUM LOT MIXING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 23, 1969 M. ERNST 3,468,542

ROTARY DRUM LOT MIXING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 5 F T fig United States Patent 3,468,542 ROTARY DRUM LOT MIXING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Max Ernst, 14 Lohengrinstr., 85 Nuremberg, Germany Filed Aug. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 659,960 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 16, 1966,

32,296 Int. Cl. A63f 7/00; A63b 37/00 US. Cl. 273144 0 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The device according to the invention is characterized primarily by a helical ball guiding means which leads from the inner periphery of the drum into the dispensing stud which has a dispensing outlet that is oflset by approximately 180 to where said helical guiding means leads into said last mentioned stud.

In some countries in which gambling is legal, gambling devices have become known which automatically pick winning numbers. Such gambling devices may be used in connection with various types of games, as for instance Bingo, and may also eject lottery slips and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gambling device of the above mentioned general character which is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce.

It is another object of this invention to provide a gambling device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which is highly reliable in operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the gambling device according to the present invention in approximately half its actual size.

FIG. 2 illustrates in section the front axle stud of the drum with the dispensing device for the balls.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the dispensing device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a catching device for the dispensed balls together with the structural elements for the control movement.

FIG. 5 illustrates a view of the gambling device according to FIGS. 1 to 4 as seen from the bottom with the bottom cover removed.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the battery container with the motor switch.

More specifically, the present invention concerns a gambling device of the above mentioned general character with a transparent rotary drum in the form of a hollow ball which is rotatable in either direction and into which numbered balls are inserted through an axle stud pertaining to said drum. When the drum rotates, in one direction, the balls are intermixed and when the drum rotates in the other direction, the balls are by means of a dispensing device successively dispensed through the other hollow axle stud of the drum. The drum is provided with a helical groove which extends from the ice equatorial area of the drum to that axle stud through which the balls of the dispensing device are passed or ejected.

The gambling device according to the present invention is characterized in that in that axle stud through which the balls are dispensed there is inserted a ring of synthetic material, preferably glued thereto, which together with the feeding groove forms a single one-piece structure, said ring having a conical inner wall. The axle stud is closed by a wall in which for dispensing the selected ball there is provided an ejection opening which is offset by to the mouth of the feeding groove.

According to a further feature of the present invention,

.the gambling device comprises a manually operable transporting device for a collecting device which is provided with a number of cylinders for catching the respective ball.

A further feature of the invention consists in a simple driving device for the drum of the gambling device and also comprises a reversing device operable by two keys for the two operations mixing and drawing respectively.

The gambling device according to the present invention has most of its parts made of synthetic material and these parts comprise in particular a hollow socket for receiving the operating device, two bearings for journalling the drum of the gambling device and a transporting.

device for stepwise advancing the receiving container. In order to keep the tool costs as low as possible, the device consists of a number of relatively simple elements which can be composed to the finished device in a very short time and in conformity with the building block principle.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the gambling device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is so designed that it can be used for instance for dispensing or ascertaining six numbers as well as an additional number from a plurality of balls carrying the numbers 1 to 49. The device comprises a socket 1 which is hollow at its lower side and consists of colored synthetic material. The height of the socket is such that it will be able to receive those parts which are shown in FIG. 5 and serve for driving and operating the device. The lower opening is closed by a plate (not shown in the drawing) which by means of tongues or pins at the rim springs into slots 2 of the socket 1. As will be seen from FIGS. 1 and 5, the top side of the socket 1 is provided with a number of depressions and recesses. The recesses 3, 4 shown in FIG. 5 serve for connecting two supports 5 for the drum of the device, the supports 5 preferably consisting of a synthetic material similar to that of the socket but of a different color. The supports 5 may be firmly glued into the recesses 3, 4.

Above the said recesses 3, 4 there are provided upwardly extending rims 6 which further contribute to the strength of the bearing supports 5. For purposes of saving material, the bearing supports 5 are provided with passages 7 reinforced at the rim and equipped with a reinforced outer rim 8. According to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the two supports 5 are in axial direction spreadable outwardly to such an extent that the drum can be introduced into the undivided bearings while permitting the bearing supports to spring back.

The drum itself is composed of two semi-cups 9, 10 of transparent synthetic material. The rear cup 10 has a bead-shaped rim 11 into which the rim of the front cup 9 fits. Each of the two semi-cups 9, 10 has an axle stud 12, 13 which is injection molded to said cups. The front axle stud 12 is provided with the dispensing device for the balls. The rear axle stud 13 serves for feeding the balls into the drum 9, 10. A three-arm star or turnstile 14 of colored synthetic material is connected to recesses at the rim of the front semi-cup 9. The arms of the turnstile 14 are near their outer end provided with bars 16 which extend into the path of the balls located at the bottom of the drum so that, when rotating the drum, by means of the turnstile 14 and bar 16 an intimate mixing of the balls 15 is effected.

As has been particularly clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front end of the axle stud 12 comprises a wall 17 injection molded thereto, in which eccentrically located to the axle center there is provided an opening 18 the diameter of which is only slightly greater than that of a ball 15. In the front axle stud 12 there is furthermore glued into an annular body 19 of colored synthetic material which is followed by a spiral trough 20 having a substantially semicircular cross section. The preferably forkshaped broadened end of trough 20 is approximately tangentially located in the vicinity of the bead 11 within the drum 9, 10. On the other hand, the trough 20 ends at the annular body 19 offset by 180 with regard to the dispensing opening 18. The inner end of the annular body 19 is provided with a circular opening 21 which is so dimensioned that only a ball from the groove 20 can enter the interior of the annular body 19. The inner surface 22 of the annular body 19 is conical and widens toward the wall 17 so that a ball entered into the annular body will rest against the wall 17.

The operation of the drum during the drawing session is as follows. When the drum rotates in counterclockwise direction, a more or less high number of balls is from the pile of balls at the bottom of the drum received at the outer end of trough or groove 20 which balls during the further rotation pass along the said trough while the respective foremost ball enters the hollow ring 19. Since at this time the discharge opening 18 has reached its uppermost position, this ball will rest against the wall 17. When the drum continues its rotation, those balls which are therebehind will drop back into the drum. If now during the further rotation, the opening 18 reaches its lowermost position, the balls can leave through the opening 18 and drop downwardly. The bearing support is provided with guiding surfaces 23 which are intended to prevent the ball when being dispensed from dropping besides the collecting cylinders therebelow.

With the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a prismatic collecting body 24 is provided which consists of a transparent synthetic material. The collecting body 24 is subdivided into seven chambers by partitions 24' which do not fully extend to the bottom. When a ball drops out of the exit opening 18 into one of the chambers, the ball stays in a depression 25 provided at the bottom of each chamber.

The collecting body is displaceable by means of a plate 27 between the guiding rails 26 of the base 1 transverse to the axis of the drum. Plate 27 has a two-arm lever pivotally journalled about a pivot 28. One arm of this lever comprises an upwardly extending tooth 29 which extends through a gap in plate 27, whereas the other lever arm comprises a small weight 30. A handle 32 is displaceably journalled in a depression 31 at the top side of the base 1. Said handle 32 is provided with two studs 33 which extend through the base in downward direction. Connected to said studs 33 is an element 34 with an eye 35. The eye 35 is engaged by a tension spring 36 the other end of which is connected to the base 1 at 37. An element 38 which is fixedly connected to the member 34 has its end extend into the passages of two eyes 39 at the bottom side of plate 27.

As will be evident from FIG. 4, spring 36 normally maintains the handle 32 and thereby also the plate 27 provided with a control tooth 29 in its position which is determined by the right-hand end of the trough 31. The collecting container 24 has its left-hand side provided with a snout 40 through which the caught balls can easily be returned into the drum through the opening of the rear axle stud 13. At the bottom side of the container bottom there are provided pivots 41 which are spaced from each other in conformity with the collecting cylinders. Further- 4 more, the bottom of the container 24 is provided with two lateral webs 42 which are provided with arresting notches 43 spaced from each other in conformity with the spacing of the collecting cylinders. Corresponding arresting cams 43 are located on the inside of the straps or rails 26. The starting position of the collecting containers 24 is determined by an abutment not shown in FIG. 1 and located between the support 5 and the rear trough 26, and by a counter-abutment provided on the container 24 and designated in FIG. 4 with the reference numeral 26'. In this position, the first cylinder of the containers 24 is located precisely below the dispensing opening 12. In this basic position, the control tooth 29 is located on the right-hand side adjacent the first cam 41 on the bottom side of container 24. In the starting position of the handle 32, the lever arm in the form of the weight 30 rests against an abutment 62 which, as will be seen from FIG. 5, is formed by the frame 62 for receiving the battery.

If now while tensioning spring 36, the handle 32 is moved toward the left until it abuts the left-hand end of trough 31, the abutment 62 frees the weight 30 so that the control tooth 29 passes upwardly and through stud 41 moves the container 24 by one step toward the left while subsequently the arresting notches 43 engage the next arresting cams 43. If now the spring 36 moves the plate 27 and thereby also the handle 32 back to the starting position thereof, the container 24 is retained by the cams 43' and notches 43 in its new position. The control tooth 29 will slide underneath the next stud 41 and pass the same while the weight 30 will again engage abutment 62 by pulling back the control tooth 29. By repeated operation of the handle 32, it will thus be possible to move all the prismatic collecting cylinders of the container 24 in succession below the dispensing opening 12.

FIGS. 5 and 6 in cooperation with FIG. 1 also show the drive for the drum 9, 10. The top side of base 1 is provided with a pushbutton 45 behind which there is a plate 46 carrying the legend mixing. On the right-hand side thereof there is a further pushbutton 47 and therebehind is a plate 48 with the legend drawing. Within the base 1 in a frame 50 of synthetic material there is mounted the driving motor 49. For purposes of mounting the frame 50, the latter is equipped with studs 51, 51' injection molded therewith, which studs 51, '51 have associated therewith hooks 52 and studs 53 which are injection molded with the base 1. The connection of frame 50 to the base 1 is effected by suspending the studs 51 into the hooks 52 and the studs 51 are pushed behind the studs 53. By means of a tension spring 54 the frame 50 is held at the bottom side of the socket. Frame 50 has journalled therein a shaft 55 equipped with a friction wheel 56 of rubber. At the area of the friction wheel 56, the bottom of the socket has a cutout 57 through which the friction wheel protrudes somewhat upwardly beyond the surface of the base 1. The drum 9, 10 is so journalled in the bearings of the support 5 that it rests against the friction wheel 56 by means of its bead 11. From below the friction wheel 56 is engaged by a motor shaft 49. When the motor shaft 49 rotates, the drum 9, 10 will through the friction wheel 56 be slowly turned in one or the other direction. The current lines connected to the motor 49 are designated with the reference numerals 58 and 59. The device comprises also a supporting plate 60 for the motor 49 which plate springs into the frame 50. The tension spring 54 is suspended on the plate 60. v

For supporting the battery 61 and the reversing device for the motor, there are additionally provided in the following devices. On the inside of base 1 there is connected a frame 62 of synthetic material. This connection may be effected for instance by cementing gluing, or the like. The said frame 62 has its two inner end faces provided with metallic covers 63 and 64. Connected to said cover 63 in a manner known per se is a spring. The battery is slipped into the frame in such a way that the battery housing rests against the spring of the cover 63 and that the central contact rests against the cover 64. Both covers or fittings 63, 64 have their upper end which engages the base 1 extended by means of straps or rails 65, 66 and 67, 68 which extend outwardly through slots in frame 62. Furthermore, the longitudinal sides of frame 62 are equipped with pivots 69 about which are pivotably mounted twoarm levers 70 and 71 consisting of spring sheet metal. Above the pivot 69 there is provided a third arm 72 which is angled off at a right angle with regard to the plane of levers 70, 71 while its end resiliently rests against an extension in the base 1. Thus, at each frame side, the spring 72 holds the lever arm 71 against the strap or rail 67, 68 and in this way also holds the two pushbuttons 45 and 47 in their starting position in upward direction. The lever arms 70 are lifted oif the contact strips 65, 66.-'The two motor feeding lines 58, 59 are soldered to the bottom of the resilient tongues 72.

The operation of the operating device for the drum 9, is as follows:

In the illustrated basic position, the two motor feeding lines 58, 59 are through the control levers 70, 71 and the strips 67, 68 serving as fixed contacts connected to and short-circuited with one pole of the battery. If now one of the two pushbuttons 45, 47 is depressed, the lever arm 71 is lifted off the corresponding strip 67, 68, and after a short stroke while the spring 72 is being tensioned, a conducting connection is established with the strap 65, 66 by means of the lever arm 70. As will be seen from the above, when depressing the pushbutton 45, the motor 49 is always connected with another pole of the battery than is the case when depressing the pushbutton 47. When actuating the pushbutton 45, the drum is rotated in the direction mixing and when relieving said pushbutton, the drum again comes to a standstill. When actuating the pushbutton 47, the drum moves in the opposite direction of rotation for drawing.

The device according to the present invention is foolproof because when the pushbuttons 45 and 47 are depressed simultaneously, the two motor feeding lines 58, 59 are short-circuited through the rails 65, 66 on the pole plate 63, and the lever arms 71 are lifted oflE from the strips 67, 68 which likewise serve as fixed contacts.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A gambling device comprising a drum adapted to receive balls with markings thereon and having oppositely located and substantially axially aligned first and second hollow stud means, supporting means rotatably supporting said first and second stud means to permit rotation thereof and thereby of said drum, said first stud means having an inlet opening for introducing balls into said drum whereas said second stud means has an outer wall provided with an outlet opening for discharging therethrough balls from the inside of said drum, and helical ball guiding means fixedly secured to said drum and leading from the inner periphery of said drum into said second stud means to said outer wall, said outlet opening being offset by approximately 180 around said wall from the point at which said helical guiding means leads into said second stud means.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which that end portion of said helical guiding means which is located within said second stud means is formed by an annular part having an inner substantially conical peripheral surface tapering inwardly toward the interior of said drum.

3. A device according to claim 1, which includes container means arranged outside said drum below said outlet opening for receiving balls discharged therethrough, said container being subdivided by partition means into a plurality of compartments and having a bottom and being movable past said outlet opening.

4. A device according to claim 3, in which the spacing between said bottom and the adjacent edges of said partition means is in excess of the diameter of the balls to be received by said container means, one end face of said container means at said bottom being provided with a discharge spout.

5. A device according to claim 3, which includes: a base supporting said suporting means, plate means slidably mounted on said base and forming a part of the bottom of said container means, and manually operable transporting means operatively connected to said plate means for actuating the same to selectively move each of said compart'ments successively underneath said outlet opening.

6. A device according to claim 5, in which said transporting means includes a stepwise feed mechanism comprising shifting tooth means operable to engage said container means and also comprises spring means operatively connected to said tooth means for returning the same to its starting position following each shifting step.

7. A device according to claim 6, which includes arresting cam means mounted in said base, and notch means provided at the lower edges of said container means and operable to engage said arresting cam means for holding said container means in its respective advanced position during the return of said tooth means to its starting position.

8. A device according to claim 1, which includes: a hollow base supporting said supporting means and having a cutout therein, frame means arranged within and connected to said base, reversible motor means supported by said frame means, and friction wheel means drivingly connected to said motor means and in frictionally driving engagement with an outer peripheral portion of said drum through said cutout.

9. A device according to claim 8, which includes additional frame means within said hollow base, battery means supported by said additional frame means, conductor means leading from said battery means to said reversible motor means, and pole reversible switch means interposed between said battery means and said motor means and including manually operable push button means for selectively causing said motor means through said friction wheel means to rotate said drum in one direction to intermix balls therein and to rotate said drum in the opposite direction to discharge balls from the interior of said drum through said outlet opening.

10. A device according to claim 9, in which said additional frame means have side walls and in which said pole reversible switch means includes metallic laterally outwardly protruding rail means mounted on said additional frame means and forming fixed contact means, pivot means mounted on the side walls of said additional frame means, two-arm contact lever means pivotally journalled on said pivot means and respectively operably by said push button means, and resilient tongue means supported by said two-arm lever means for engagement with said base to hold said lever arms against said rail means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,203,886 6/ 1940 Zamora 273144 3,140,875 7/ 1964 Abbott et a1. 273-144 FOREIGN PATENTS 795,869 1/ 1936 France. 63 8,781 10/ 1937 Germany.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner ARNOLD W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner 

